Alarm attachment for incubators.



PATENTED OCT. 29, 1907. O. R. BENEDICT & J. A. HUTGHESON.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ornron.

CHARLES R. BENEDICT, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, AND JOHN A. HUTOHESON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1907.

Application filed March 10. 1906. Serial No. 305,289-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES R. BENEDICT and JOHN A. HU'rennsoN, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Wyandotte and State of Kansas, and Kansas City, Jackson county, State of Missouri, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Attachments ior Incubators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electric alarm attachments for incubators, and our object is to produce attachments of this character which respond to predetermined variations in temperature in the incubators and sound an alarm for the purpose of notifying the person in charge that the incubator needs attention.

A further object is to produce attachments of this character which will operate eiliciently and reliably.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1, is a vertical section of an attachment embodying our invention taken on the line II of Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is a horizontal section of the same on the line I1I1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a diagrammatic view of the circuits.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates a box, 2 an electric battery therein, having the positive pole of one cell connected by conductor 3 to one pole of the knife switch 4, secured on the bottom of the box, the other pole of said switch being connected by conductor 5 to an electromagnetic bell mechanism 6, which may be secured to the bOX as shown, but preferably will be located where it is most likely to be heard by the person in charge of the incubator. 7 is a conductor leading from said bell mechanism to conductor 8 connecting the negative pole of the other battery cell to the electro-magnet 9, which magnet is cased in but is of the common and wellknown type and has its armature 10, projecting through the casing and provided with a catch 11, said magnet 9 having its opposite pole connected by a conductor 12 to the bifurcated bracket 13, preferably secured to the box at one side thereof, the arms of said bracket being provided with alined set screws 14, which form adjustable contacts between which projects the end of the regulator 15 of an incubator not shown, said regulator being adapted to move vertically in one direction or the other as the temperature of the incubator falls or rises, the means for effecting such movement of the regulator not appearing because in common use in incubators. The set screws will be so adjusted that the regulator will touch one or the other if the temperature falls or rises sulliciently to threaten the germs in the eggs in the incubator. The regulator is electrically connected by conductor 16 to a l plate 17, secured to the box and said plate in turn is connected by conductor 18' to the conductor 3.

In practice one bell mechanism is preferably'located in the sleeping apartment of the person incharge of the incubators if there are a number of the latter and a similar bell mechanism as indicated in the diagrammatic view may be located at the place where said attendant is most likely to hear it in the daytime.

19 indicates a bracket forming a journal for one end of a shaft 20, which preferably projects through the box and through a bearing 21 secured thereto and secured on the outer end of said shaft is a handle 22. Secured upon the shaft within the box is an arm 23 provided with a tooth 24 which normally engages catch 11 so as to support the arm 23 in the position shown in full lines Fig. 1.

The instant the regulator in moving in response to the rise or fall in the temperature in the incubator comes in contact with one or the other of the set screws 14, a circuit is completed from the battery through conductors 3, 18, 1'7, 16, 15, the set screw engaged thereby, bracket 13, the electro-magnet 9 and conductor 8 back to the battery, the energization of said magnet resulting in the attraction of its armature so as to trip catch 11 from the path of tooth 24, and permit arm 23 to fall by gravity into engagement with and electrically connect the poles of the switch, this action instantly short-circuiting the current so that it passes from the battery through conductor 3 to the connected pole of the switch, thence through the switch arm L3 to the other pole of the switch, thence through conductor 5 to the bell mechanism and from the latter back through conductors 7 and 8 to the battery. As a result of the establishment of this circuit the bell rings and continues to ring until the attendant by grasping handle 22, raises arm 23 from engagement with the switch pole and breaks said circuit or until said circuit is broken by the operation of the switch 25 located in one of the conductors connected to the bell mechanism, said switch being shown as located in conductor 7 in Fig. 3. If the current through the bell mechanism is broken by the last-named switch, the attendant must reelevate arm 23 to its original position in order that it shall again be supported in inoperative position by the catch of the armature as shown in Fig. 1, most clearly, it being noted in this connection that ends of the catch 11, and the tooth 24 are beveled so as to permit the former to be pushed upward in the restoration of the latter to its original position, the armature dropping downward to its original position so as to prevent the tooth and arm 23 from again falling until the armature is again reseated by the energization of the electromagnet which of course does not occur until the regulator again comes in contact with one of the set screws, it being understood of course that the incubator must be first restored to normal condition as to temperature so as to hold the regulator out of contact with either I of said set screws.

From the above description it will be apparent that we have produced an alarm attachment for incubators which possesses the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the object of the invention and which is' susceptible of modification in minor particulars without departing from the principle of construction involved, and in this connection it will be understood that a single alarm attachment may be employedwith any number of incubators the necessary electrical connections being obvious to those skilled in the art, said connections being omitted because forming no part of our invention.

connected to a pole of said source of electric current sup ply, an electromagnetic bell connected to the other pole of said switch and to the other pole of the source of electric currentsupply, an arm adapted to connect the poles of said switch and held normally out of engagement therewith by said armature, a shaft carrying said switch pole connecting arm, and a handle to operate said shaft and elevate said arm to its original position and relation with respect to the armature.

2. The combination of a casing, an electric battery therein, an electro-maguet in said casing, provided with an armature, a pair of switch poles in said casing, a shaft 'projecting into said casing and suitably journaled, a

switch arm mounted on said shaft and provided with a tooth held by gravity against and supported by said armature, a handle for said shaft, a bracket having an adjustable contact electrically connected to said electro-magnet,

a conductor between said magnet and one pole of the battery, an incubator regulator adapted for engagement with said adjustable contact and electrically connected to the other pole of said battery, a conductor between the lastnamed pole of the battery and one of the switch poles, a

bell mechanism, and conductors connecting the bell mechanism with the other pole of the switch and the first named pole of said battery. 7

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures, in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES R. BENEDICT. JOHN A. HUTCHESON. Witnesses H. C. Ronenns,

G. Y. Tnonrn. 

